


What's Left Behind

by namelessgal



Series: To Be Lost, Then Found [1]
Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn
Genre: F/F, Identity confusion, brainwashing and recovery, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 22:26:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17927531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namelessgal/pseuds/namelessgal
Summary: They were gone. Everyone. Only ashes remained. The deputy was gone, her face was gone, her language was dead. Only ashes remained. And from those ashes, the Judge was born.





	What's Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

> There's not nearly enough content for this pairing, so I had to drag myself out of the hole I call writers block and make some. Been a hot minute since I last wrote.

The first thing Father did was take her tongue. Told her it was a testament to her pride - after all, what use did a mute have of a tongue if she could not speak? No use keeping what is not needed, he told her as he forced her mouth open, and cut out the testament. When she wept, he held her close, stroked her hair, and cleaned the blood from her face - she was too weak, in too much shock to fight back, and after a brief struggle, held him. He was the only one left and the loss of her tongue is what first broke her, made her malleable to his teachings. She wailed as he rocked her and she hated it but the physical contact is what she needed. It had been weeks since the bombs had dropped, weeks since she had seen her friends. She fell asleep in his arms and the dreams begin again.

The reoccurring dream was of that fateful day. Night? She’s not sure; everything has begun to blur and become… different. There was a fight, the Father was there and then the world was washed in flame. And she was there. What was her name….?

_Joey._

The truck was too small for all of them, she remembered. Whitehouse threw the incapacitated Father into the back seat and pushed Pratt in behind him. Joey had grabbed her elbow as the Sheriff yelled at her to take the wheel, her face already blistering from the heat, a new scratch across her cheek, given to Joey by the Deputy herself, just a few minutes ago. Grace was yelling for Joey to get in a car - separate from her.

“We’re right behind you,” she yelled over the noise. “I’ll see you again, we’ll get through this!” Joey looked so scared, a sentiment shared by the Deputy herself. Before Grace dragged her away, she signed to her _“I love you, I will see you soon.”_ It was a desperate, messy sign, and perhaps the last one understood.

“I love you too, Maya.” And just like that she’s gone, Grace practically throwing her into a car with Jess, as she got into the truck and gunned it towards Dutch’s bunker and they were off - then a flaming tree falls and Maya can see Grace swerve to avoid impact, tearing down another road in a different direction.

_Is this a memory? Or a nightmare? Did this ever happen? All she knows now is the bunker and the Father._

The arrive at the bunker and despite her grief at their separation she feels a spot of relief - if she made it maybe so did Joey and the others. Then the truck crashed, and she is back where it began, but instead of Dutch, it’s the Father, teaching her a new way.

 _Maya - was that her name…?_ _“And so is our Judgement…” No - she was The Judge._

At first she was Maya. But he played their song, and taught her their way, to extend the hand or the fist. He washes away her sins and her tears and, with time, she understands. When they go above ground she fears recognition and begs for a mask and the Father gifts her with a new face.

The Father did not understand her signing, so they took to writing. It was not long before the Judge lost her voice all over again - perhaps the only one left in the scorched world that understood this dead language. So she does not speak. Only writes, and writes only to the Father. The pen and paper is her voice now, but sometimes, when Maya wakes and the Judge sleeps, she wonders if there are others outside their encampment who still speak the language of the hand.

He took her face and gave her a new one. He took her voice and gave her a new one. He gave her a new faith when there was nothing left for her. The Judge was grateful, but Maya was…. Asleep? Maya was there, occasionally and struggled against the Judge, begging her to stop, help in a different way, to break free of the Father. It was an annoyance.

Together, they built New Eden and at his bequest, she ate from the Tree, and finally, Maya was silent. The Judge became strong, fast, and a survivor. She thrived. She survived and she protected. _She killed._ For violence was the language she understood.  

At first, she hated him. But then she understood his judgement. She was of his flock, his enforcer, his Judge. And when they re-emerged to the world she was there to guide his new flock, to protect the Flock and the Father. But that changed when the Captain came knocking, the Word of the Father in hand, with a familiar face in tow.

She opens the doors and that is just the beginning as she is assigned to the Captain, following the word of the Father to bring the Flock of Hope County back under their protection, to return New Eden to the correct Shepard.

Carmina recognizes her, and Maya from within stirs.

“My mom and dad told me what you did for us, so long ago.” She whispers to her one time. “Boy that car ride is one of horror for my mom and amusement for my dad.” She smiles to the Judge and Maya’s hand moves to speak. The Judge forces it down and Maya is silenced. “I know you’re helping us because you remember us somehow, Deputy.” The inside of her face is wet and the tears itch under the wood. But the Judge’s face remains in place. Carmina is not the first to recognize the dead woman however.

When they return to Prosperity, Maya stirs again, a sense of pride over taking the Judge, and she has to clutch her bow to keep her in check. What was once the Father’s, set ablaze by Maya, has grown to be the home of the Scavengers, with children. Oh, children. She missed the sound they make. Maya fought for the people, but the Judge fights for the Father’s word.

Nick and Kim are there, and again, Maya stirs. Nick recognizes her and can’t help wonder what happened to her and Maya almost signs back. Before that day, she was teaching him some of her language, and wonders if he remembers. When he signs _Deputy?_ She almost replies, instead turning away. It’s not long before she runs into his wife, who recognizes her as well, after some time but instead of confronting her, offers a plate of food with a firm hand on the shoulder and a quiet “Thank you, Deputy.”

She wishes they’d stop calling her that - the deputy is dead and only the Judge remains. But she is no longer so sure of that. The Captain leaves her and Carmina behind more than once and Maya begins to awaken more and more. She can’t help but wonder if the Captain knows, if they do it on purpose, to try to help her. More often than not, she finds herself spending time with the girl who, in another lifetime would’ve grown calling her aunt, calling her godmother. Carmina talks to her, even if the Judge does not respond further than a few grunts and coughs, tells her of anything she can. It’s not long before another familiar face that the Judge was avoiding wanders over and shakes Maya awake even more.

She’s blind, so the Judge isn’t entirely sure as to how Grace Armstrong recognizes her. Maybe Kim or Nick, or one of the others, Hurk or Sharky told her. It doesn’t matter anymore, not when she sits down next to her one night out of the blue.

“Never thought I’d see you again, Rook.” And just like that the Judge is out of the driver’s seat. Maya turns her head to Grace in shock. “Though, I guess I’m not really seeing you, huh?” She laughs as she leans back in her seat, stretching her feet towards the fire. There is no one else around them, just the two former comrades in the dark night, for once not keeping watch, just keeping company. There is a silence between the two, and Maya - not the Judge - cannot tell if it is a comfortable silence or an awkward one - it’s been too long.

“Still silent as ever, I see.” Grace holds a flask out in her general direction and with a moment of hesitation, Maya takes it, the Judge silent as Maya tilts the mask to press the flask to her lips.

“Something of my own creation.” Grace tells as she takes a sip, immediately sputtering and coughing at the strong burn. “Not that tasty but all that’s offered now a days.” She takes the flask back and takes a sip, grimacing as well. Its silent for a minuet and Maya feels comfortable enough to fully remove her face for the first time in years, and the Judge is gone - for the moment. She turns the Judge’s face over in her hands, the owlish mask staring back at her.

“I know you want to ask, Rook.” She does want to, she wants to speak with someone who would understand - but she cannot. She remembers, and she knows that Grace does - that woman does not forget easily, but Grace would not understand, she can no longer see and thus can no longer speak this language. So instead she grunts, fingers still tracing the face of the Judge. Her face.

“Last I saw, they were still alive.” The Judge falls to the ground, and Maya looks up sharply. The face hits the ground with a wooden echo, Grace turning her face towards the sound with a half grin.

“We made it to a bunker in time, Jess even grabbed Boomer. Poor dog ain’t around no more but he did last a good while, once we went above ground again. Jess is probably still out there somewhere, she’s a tough bitch. But that’s not who you’re wondering about is it? Joey was alive and looking for you last I heard.” Maya’s face is wet, and her breathing heavy. “I don’t know if she’s still there, she runs with a small group of scavengers, trying to keep them alive.” She can’t help the cry that escapes her, clumsily rubbing at her cheeks.

To her surprise, Grace finds a way to kneel before her, pulling her rough, pale hands from her face. She reaches up, and with gentleness that Maya wouldn’t have expected from an old soldier, and brushes Maya’s tears away. She’s the first to touch Maya in almost fifteen years. And she does so gently, with hope.

“She was headed north, away from this mess, taking her people before the Twins could take them.” There’s no more to be said, and Maya stands, ready to leave. She’s stopped however, seeing the Captain and Carmina headed their way, she crouches eye level with Grace, taking her hands again, and speaking to her in the silent language. Bringing their joined hands up to her mouth and back down, thanking her for the information, the hope. She scoops the Judge’s face from the ground, a fixing back over Maya’s face, and the Jude awakens, just a little. There’s work to be done.

Maya allows herself to slip into the back seat again, the Judge taking control… no not control, but rather just driving? It’s different now, Maya is not asleep.

Grace grins at her one last time before the duo reaches them, calling the Judge away to help with some issue or another that would need her bow.

And then he is killed. He begs for death. And she doesn’t know what to think - is she the Judge if there is no Judgement? The Judge mourns the loss of the Father, as the sacred tree burns above his broken body, and she wonders if she too was corrupted and if she too deserved death. _No_ something whispered, something that had been silent for years. _She needs to atone, to protect._

And so she does, but does she do so as the Judge? Or does she protect innocents and provide as Maya? It’s hard to tell, she’s no longer sure if the Judge and Maya are as separate as they once were.

There’s an odd freedom that comes with the Father’s death and it’s the first time in years that the Judge considers doing something for herself. Every day, it gets harder and harder to ignore the urge to go north. But she stays, for the Captain, for the Rye family, for the people of Prosperity. She begins to heal age old wounds, wounds received from both the new and the old worlds, but she is still silent and still wears the face of the Judge. Some still refer to her as the Judge, but many seem unsure if that is the proper name for her. The survivors of New Eden call her their Priest, a sort of leader, second to the Shepherd, but the people of Prosperity and of Hope’s County? They all seem to have their own name for her. Few call her the Judge, some call her hero, others the Huntress, impressed by her ability to provide so much so easily for the communities of Hope County, all without being asked or asking for anything in return.

Those that knew her in a past life, however, they call her friend. They seem to think Maya will not return, something she herself feels, but they know that the Judge is no more, and that whatever remains is not their enemy. The Captain refers to her as Huntress or Artemis as well, thinking it was a suitable name for someone of her caliber. She’s a strange one, who knows when to push boundaries or when to let them be.

Carmina calls her Aunt. Just plain, old Aunt. She’ll track her down sometimes, and ask her to go hunting or to give a hand in a simple task that she knew Carmina was more than capable of handling on her own. After a while, they develop their own language, Carmina learning to speak to her and to listen to what she has to say with no words in any established language having to be said or signed. Useful whilst on hunting trips, Carmina being able to understand what a simple head tilt or shift in body language means. Other times, Carmina brings a pen and paper and she actually speaks to her goddaughter, writing out words, questions, and stories, both eager to know more about the other.

Nick and Kim on the other hand, vary between calling her Huntress and Rook, Kim confidently like she knows that her friend will return when ready, and Nick nervously, like he expects the Judge to lash out, and judge him for his sins.

Hurk and Sharky, those idiots, still call her Deputy, making her avoid any unnecessary time spent with them. They’re not eager to spend time with her either, scared shitless by the Judge’s face.

Grace calls her nothing but friend. More often than not, their time spent together is in silence. It’s during one of these silences that Grace asks her what she is still doing here.

“I would’ve thought you long gone by now.” The older woman stretches from her seat, both their chores done for the day. “Headed north, I suppose.” They both know what she means by that; Grace thought that she would’ve left the County to search for Joey. She grunts.

“Not to say I’m not glad that you stayed, we really appreciate all the help you’ve given. But don’t you think you’ve already given too much to this county?” She still wears the Judge’s face because she’s also taken so much from this County and feels as though she must repay the debt. She grunts again.

“Hrmph. I’m just surprised that’s all, especially now that the Twins are gone. Been gone almost a year, yet here you are, making a new name for yourself, _Huntress_. If you ask me, that name is better suited for Jess.” Grace grins at the memory of the fierce woman. The Judge, the Huntress grins as well, though none can see. “Ah well,” There’s a long silence then; “Sometimes I miss the old days, ya know? Never thought I’d prefer the days of shooting Peggies but here we are.” She’s not sure if she agrees, remembering the anger, the wrath, the sorrow and the bloodshed that followed her like a shadow those days. As the Judge, she found some twisted sort of peace and rest that the Deputy Maya had never felt before. But now, whoever she was, whatever she was, had the silence that came with the Judge, but an inner turmoil as well.  

“Are you going to look for her?” Instead of answering, she stands and takes Grace’s hand. “You deserve happiness and peace as well, Maya.” Grace whispers to her gently. She brings Grace’s hand to the Judge’s face and shakes her head once, before dropping the hand and walking away. 

“There is nothing for you to redeem.” She hears Grace call to her, and she does not believe it. 

Who was she? What was left of her? What would be left of her if there was nothing left to redeem? Redemption is all that she had left. 

Months later when she’s out hunting, looking for any sort of meat to bring back to Prosperity in this cold, she sees the flares coming from the settlement itself, calling her and other hunters back. The flares hadn’t gone off in ages, the last time due to an attack from stray Highwaymen. Fearing the worst, she had left her prey, startling them as she leapt down from her perch, sprinting back towards the settlement with her abnormal speed. She stops just out of sight of the settlement, crouched in the shadows of the trees peering towards the ates, ears straining for screams or sounds of a struggle but instead hearing the sound of … laughter? Why were the flares sent if there was laughter? She readies her bow, just in case, and slowly makes her way towards Prosperity. 

The gates are open and she sees a crowd of people, outsiders, clothed in furs and strange plants, mutated pines of some sort. Their clothes heavier than anyone else’s from Hope County. Most of the group were armed with makeshift weapons, but none were drawn and all had smiles, setting their bags aside and many shaking hands and hugging others within the community of Prosperity. Some were being greeted as if they were old friends. Perhaps they were, before the bombs dropped. 

The Captain was there, looking slightly uncomfortable, but still welcoming the newcomers. Carmina stood beside them, holding their hand, grinning as her parents embraced several of the newcomers. The two of them embraced one of the people at the same time, holding them closer and longer than the others. They had a sawed off shotgun slung across their back, a makeshift blade at their hip, and a large parka make of wolf skin pulled over their head, tinted goggles protecting their eyes from the harsh sun’s glare reflecting from the snow, dark hair with a few strands of grey mixed in braided neatly, just barely visible under the large hood. 

She slowly began to make her way through the crowd, pushing the first few bystanders aside, others stepping away when they see her mask. Kim catches sight of her, grins widely and beckons her closer as she steps from the other’s embrace. Nick steps back as well, and the other turns to to see what had caught the couple’s attention. She pushed her hood back, then moved her goggles to her forehead revealing green eyes and a scarred cheek. The leader looked to her and her bow fell to the ground as she moved forward to face the woman. 

She couldn’t believe her eyes. She was here, standing before her once again, and her heart almost broke all over again, believing it to be another hallucination - she had suffered from many of them before the Judge had been born. She removes her gloves and, for the first time in forever, Maya spoke. 

_Joey?_

The woman removes her own gloves, and Maya almost cries as she speaks back, in a language Maya thought deader than herself.

_Maya. You’re alive._

Maya and the Judge fall to their knees as one before Joey Hudson, tears streaming down their face, shoulders heaving with relief, a sob escaping from her. Joey reaches down with both hands, removing the Jude’s face from Maya, dropping it in the snow besides her, her last restraint, revealing Maya’s scarred face as well, tears tracing down the scars on her cheeks. Joey kneels besides her, wiping her tears away.

“Oh, Maya, my Maya, how I’ve missed you,” And she pulls her close, into her embrace, allowing Maya to rest her full weight upon her, sobbing, relieved to see her love once again. She had just begun healing, but now, with her love, with her Joey by her side, perhaps they could begin making real progress towards their healing.

Together, they stood; there was much to be done, their healing only the start of it.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Didn't really like the ending, might rewrite it, might make it a mini series of sorts, who knows. Let me know what y'all think.


End file.
